September 10, 2024 Interviewer: Uncle, I heard you used to build 吊脚楼 (diaojiaolou). Can you tell me about what it was like? These buildings are so rare nowadays. Uncle: (Scratches his chin, chuckling) Ah, those were the days, kid. Yeah, I used to build them. You’d see them all over the place back in the […]
“Master of the Mountains: A Tujia Craftsman on the Enduring Legacy of Diaojiaolou” Read More »
Interviewer: Can you tell me about your experience growing up with the Baishou Dance tradition? I’ve read a lot about it, but I’d love to hear what it was like to witness it firsthand. Mr. Peng: (Smiles) Ah, Baishou Dance… yes, that’s something deeply rooted in my memory. I grew up in a small village
“Echoes of Tradition: A Middle-Aged Tujia Man’s Reflection on Baishou Dance” Read More »
“Courageous, hardworking, good, decent.” These are words describing immigrants by pro-immigration politicians, but in academia, words like: “inequalities, high poverty rates, constrained social network, marginalized, discriminated, and minorities” tend to associate with the life of immigrants entering this country. With the stark reality undermining the dreamscape of immigration in the U.S., a worthy question to
Does U.S. Citizenship Pay Off? Read More »
I was roaming on the street in New York City. People hustle, hurrying from one destination to another. Yet Tianzin and his father have already arrived at their sole destination—the United States of America, yet it has not been what they imagined. At the plaza that joins Columbus Circle and an entrance to Central
Tibetan in New York Read More »
Interviewer: Grandma, could you tell me a bit about the old marriage customs in our Tujia community? I’ve heard something about crying before weddings—what’s that all about? Grandma: Ah, yes… the crying. (Pauses, chuckling softly) That’s something every Tujia girl knew well in my time. You see, when a girl was set to marry, she
“Weeping Brides: A Tujia Legacy” Read More »
